Construction begins on project to supply Lake Michigan water to southwest suburbs
CHICAGO — Construction is set to begin on a project to supply Lake Michigan water to the far southwest suburbs.
This project was first started in 2018 when the Illinois State Water Survey came out, showing that the well water that many of the southwest suburbs rely on would not be enough for the future.
This is going be a 60-mile pipeline that connects the Chicago water supply to six cities and villages, which include Joliet, Crest Hill, Channahon, Minooka, Romeoville and Shorewood.
The cost of the project is about $1.44 billion.
While Congress has allocated a few million dollars in grants for its construction so far, a bulk of this money is going to be coming from low interest loans from the government, as well as bonds being issued by the Grand Prairie Water Commission, which was formed by the six communities.
'Projects like this one are not just about modernizing aging water infrastructure. It's an investment in our families, business, economy and future. It's an investment that pays off,' said US Rep. Lauren Underwood.
'For the first time in over three decades, we are establishing a direct connection of new water costumers which will provide six more cities with fresh, high quality drinking water,' said Randy Conner, the Commissioner of the Department of Water Management for the City of Chicago.
This project is expected to take about five years.
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